Old TV shows are finding a new life on DVD - and it seems we can't get enough of them.

Edward and Mrs Simpson, Mr T from The A-Team and Thomas Hardy's Jude The Obscure might not seem to have much in common. But all are playing a part in proving that old TV shows don't die, they don't even fade away - they have a new life on DVD.

BBC chairman Michael Grade responded to moans at the recent annual meeting about too many repeats by promising to rid BBC1 and BBC2 of reruns within ten years. Realising perhaps that this would mean blank screens most of the time, as there's not enough money to fill every viewing hour with new programmes or imports, this statement was refined to say no repeats in peaktime.

Not everyone dislikes repeats. Watching old programmes can invoke a cosy nostalgic glow in these troubled times. And for ardent fans, they can feed their obsession by watching their favourite shows over and over again. A case of play it again Sam. And again. And again. And again.

The DVD industry has realised the money to be made from long-gone TV shows, scouring every nook and cranny of every library for material. Current hits, such as CSI and The O.C., transfer to DVD as a matter of course, released as soon as the series has ended on TV.

Increasingly, both British and US companies are releasing shows from their back catalogues, enabling armchair critics to see if series such as Magnum PI, The A-Team and Wonder Woman have stood the test of time or should have stayed buried in the vaults.

Network, which specialises in old TV shows, has agreements with both Thames Television and Granada to distribute back catalogues. The result is the first appearances on DVD of previously-unavailable titles including The Bill, Edward And Mrs Simpson, The Benny Hill Show, and Robin's Nest as well as the complete series of Man About The House, George And Mildred, Callan and Van Der Valk.

"The label will delve deep into the archive to fully exploit the rich seam of the production company's programme assets," say the people at Network. The indie label now effectively controls the UK DVD rights for the vast majority of ITV's 50-year-old programme library.

Soaps present special problems because of the sheer volume of back episodes. They have to be packaged like a recent Coronation Street DVD. This offered the best of 1970-79, a ten-box set featuring 80 episodes from the 1970s. Many haven't been seen since the original broadcast.

Many will remember series such as The Adventures Of Robin Hood, with Richard Greene riding through the glen with his merry men in the 1950s, but other titles that turn up on DVD are less familiar.

Who recalls The Omega Factor, a BBC series dating from the 1970s? You can acquaint yourself on DVD with this ten-part drama about a secret government department investigating the paranormal starring James Hazeldine and Louise Jameson, former Doctor Who companion and EastEnders actress.

Julie Walters And Friends is an oddity that would have been gone and forgotten without the advent of DVD. This Christmas special from 1991 features Walters and Victoria Wood in sketches by the illustrious trio of Alan Bennett, Alan Bleasdale and Willy Russell.

It's amazing how people find the same jokes funny over and over again. Why else would there be so many TV comedies released, which serve as a reminder of the poor state of today's small screen comedy. Friends was a big seller, despite endless repeats on C4. Now-axed series such as The Golden Girls, Seinfeld and Frasier live on thanks to DVD.

British humour isn't left behind. The Army Game, one of ITV's earliest comedy series, is available to enjoy again. Mr Humphries' cry "I'm free" is echoing around living rooms as the BBC's Are You Being Served? debuts on DVD. The biggest shock is that the pilot episode is in black and white, so we can't enjoy the full horror of Mrs Slocombe's hair colour.

The series is still funny in a broad, British seaside postcard way. And, despite being based on topical events, Drop The Dead Donkey still causes a chuckle or two as the newsroom backbiting and bitching is revived with Stephen Tompkinson, Neil Pearson and Haydn Gwynne in leading roles.

One excuse for a DVD release is the arrival of a cinema remake. Nicole Kidman twitches her nose as witch Samantha in Bewitched on the big screen in August, as the original TV series with Elizabeth Montgomery is available to buy. John Schneider and Tom Wopat will be back behind the wheel of the General Lee in The Dukes Of Hazzard on DVD as the film remake premieres in cinemas.

Universal Playback, a leading provider of TV-to-DVD, has a new package of cult collection releases. Oddly, the award-winning Monk - which is still running - is included alongside the likes of old-timers The A-Team, Knight Rider, Magnum PI, Columbo and Kojak. Never-seen-before footage and bonus material are among incentives to buy.

Seventeen hours of action with David Hasselhoff and his super-advanced car KITT and 22 episodes of the crime-fighting A-Team led by George Peppard and Mr T are among the treats in store. With Columbo, there's the added attraction of spotting the guest stars with Leonard Nimoy, Robert Culp and Martin Landau among them.

If you want something a little more substantial than formulaic US series, BBC classic Brit lit costume drama fits the bill. The latest discoveries included Thomas Hardy's Jude The Obscure, with Robert Powell as the poor lad who dreams of bettering himself in Victorian England, and Francesca Annis stars as Madame Bovary, who dreams of marrying her way up the social ladder and away from the small provincial French farm on which she lives with her father.

Published: 30/07/2005